The Art of NonBending
by Letsleave
Summary: This is a tale of 3 cousins, all of whom travel the world. One to find her purpose, one to escape his purpose, and one to change his purpose in life. Will the skilled non-bender or the bender who can't control his element be Firelord? Can a non-bender change the perception of power? Can a Firebender harness Airbending skills? The story takes place 50 years after A:LOK does.


Benders often forget to learn the art of non-bending. Benders often forget to learn that they, too, are mortal. There comes a time when every human must stand on the threshold of power and turn away, some don't. Those are reminded of their mortality in the most humbling of ways. More often than not, they turn out to be benders. Benders that forget that it is the element that's controlling them, not the other way around; benders that use the elements for power as opposed to harmony.

The Art of Non-Bending:

Prologue:

His brothers are better than him because they are stronger. His brothers are more loved because they are stronger. His brothers are more popular because they are stronger. His brothers are more at advantage because they are stronger. Or that's what he thinks, anyway. He thinks these thoughts, neither for the first nor for the last time, and sighs as he struggles to keep his balance while hiding on top of his favourite tree.

He has always loved trees; he swears he can hear them whisper sometimes. Not that he would tell anyone because he thinks that they wouldn't understand. That they would judge him.

He doesn't want to go back, he looks around and feels like crying. He laughs at his own cowardice. What kind of firebender hides? The bad kind, he supposes.

His uncle is the Firelord, and a strong one at that. He is noble and kind, but also powerful. He has control over fire, and control over his body. But Vayu, the teenage boy, afraid of his youth, knows not what true control means.

He looks up to the clear, starry sky and the beautiful full moon, which shines its light upon him. He guesses that his family is out, near the Lake, harnessing the powers of the full moon, and practicing waterbending.

He could go back to the facility and look for Ryuko. She understands, partially. But that's not why he wants to see her, he would never confess any emotional doubt to anyone.

"It's not becoming of a firebender" he tells himself whenever he feels the need to speak up about his insecurities, but the wildfire that uses everything in its path to keep on burning, inevitably creates smoke. Smoke that appears as doubt and sadness all over his face, and smoke that hinders his firebending.

No, he wants to see her because she's beautiful, and she makes him smile. Ryuko, the waterbender. Ryuko, his love. And she too notices the doubts and sadness all over his face, but instead of saying anything, takes his hand and holds it tight. And that's what anyone wants, really: To be held by someone you care for.

He almost ups and leaves to find her, but soon realises that she's also probably near the lake, practicing her waterbending.

That's the one major difference that obstructs them from totally uniting in harmony. She rises with the moon, and he rises with the sun. So, he thinks anyway. She does not.

He sits up the tree for half an hour more, then he goes back to the facility and scurries towards the lake.

Just as he suspected, his whole family's there. His youngest sister, at merely 6 years old, splashes water instead of practicing motion control. His two older brothers, along with his parents, are in complete synchronisation. He sees his uncle and aunt, and cousins on the other side of the lake.

He looks for his youngest cousin, the non-bender. She sits on top of a stone and struggles to read a book in the dark. He approaches her.

"Hey kid" He smiles "Isn't it a bit too dark to read?"

"Not really" Isra answers "The moon is bright, tonight"

"Oh, come on" He responds "You're squinting"

He firebends, "Lucem" He smiles.

"Thanks, Vayu" She kisses him on the cheek.

"Say" He hesitates "Have you seen Ryuko?"

Isra scorns playfully, "Oh is that why you were being nice to me?"

Vayu doesn't say anything, instead chooses to respond with a half-assed smile.

"She's over there" Isra points to the north, to the darker side of the lake.

"Thank you" He says, but instead of moving sits with his cousin "What are you reading?"

"A book?"

"Oh, really?" He looks up to the moon "What about?"

"History"

"History of what?"

"History of the past"

"That's a bit redundant"

"I'd say"

"Come on"

"It's about the 100 years war"

"You're so interested in that darned war, it can't be healthy"

"It defined us as a world"

"I know, I'm teasing"

"Katara's my favourite"

"Zuko's my favourite"

"Zuko's everyone's favourite"

"Eyes off, I saw him first" He jeers. She laughs and goes back to reading.

"Isn't it a bit weird" She says after 10 minutes "That you're related to Price ... Firelord Zuko?"

"I'm also related to the Avatar" He pipes in jokingly "Don't forget"

"I know... it's kind of unnerving" She stops "Your ancestors shaped History"

"So?" He says.

"Where does the leave you?" She asks "Just, you know, do you ever get the feeling that your ancestors would expect greatness out of you?"

"They can expect all they want" He grunts "They're not going to get it out of me"

"Don't be that way" Isra sighs "You have something to live for"

"What?" He raises his voice slightly "To futilely pursue greatness for the rest of my life, only to die as a parody"

"That's still something" She shuts her book "That's still something" She walks away.

He doesn't know what she means. He, along with everyone else, could never understand her subtle remarks.

He decides not to think about his cousin too much, and goes off to find Ryuko. For a training facility, that prides itself in being equally representative of all the nations' benders and non-benders, it enrols a highly disproportionate number of waterbenders with every 2 in 5 students being them.

He would say firebenders are the minority, but that would be a lie, non-benders are. And the facility has no airbenders, which shouldn't come as a shock to anybody.

He finds Ryuko. Unlike most, she practices alone.

"Hi" He says. She turns around and beams.

"Hi" She says, a look of concern crosses her face. She says nothing, but chooses to hold his hand tight.


End file.
